Pallet guides
Eight plain guides on the questions people ask before they call a pallet desk: how to get rid of pallets, what they are worth, what the stamp means, what blue and red paint says, and what to do about mold, storage and alley loads. Each ends in the request it points to.
Getting pallets out
- How to get rid of pallets: sell the good ones, return pooled ones, clear the rest.
- Pallets in DC alleys: when there is no dock to load from.
- Storing empty pallets: keeping a pile from turning into a problem.
Knowing what you have
- What used pallets are worth: the factors, with no price list.
- Reading a pallet stamp: the IPPC mark, HT, MB and DB.
- CHEP and PECO pallets: blue and red belong to someone else.
- Mold, moisture and clean pallets: what to check before a load goes out.
- Free pallets: what to know before you take them.
How these guides are kept
Each guide cites its sources and carries the date it was last reviewed. We state no prices, because the answer depends on the count, the size, the grade and how often, and none of those is known until you send them.
Which guide for which problem
| If this is your problem | Read |
|---|---|
| A stack nobody wants | Get rid of pallets |
| Blue and red pallets in the pile | CHEP and PECO |
| A customer asking for a stamp | Reading a pallet stamp |
| A smell in the stack | Mold and moisture |
A note on sources
Every guide lists the sources behind its figures: reference guides from grading and pooling companies, a trade encyclopedia, state and federal agencies and the Wikipedia articles for pallets and the international wood-packaging standard. We prefer sources that can be checked, and we say when a fact comes from a single one.
Where to begin
If you have a pile and want it gone, start with how to get rid of pallets. If you are working out what a pile is worth, read pallet value. If you ship overseas, read ISPM 15 stamps. If a blue or red pallet turned up, read the pooled pallets guide.
How the guides are written
Each guide states what it knows from a named source and says plainly where the trade has no standard. None promises a price, a turnaround or a minimum.
In this section
- How to get rid of palletsHow to get rid of pallets in DC, Maryland and Virginia: sell the good ones, return pooled ones, and clear the rest without dumping.
- Free pallets: what to know firstWhere free pallets come from around DC, which ones are safe to reuse, how to read the stamp, and when a load is worth paying for.
- What used pallets are worthWhat decides a used pallet's value: size, grade, block or stringer, volume and condition. Plain answers before you sell.
- Reading a pallet stampHow to read the stamp on a pallet: the IPPC mark, country code, producer number, HT, MB and DB, and when export needs it.
- CHEP and PECO palletsBlue and red pallets belong to pooling companies. How to spot them, get them collected and keep them out of a sell load.
- Mold, moisture and clean palletsWhy pallets go moldy, what moisture content means, and what food and pharma docks should check before a load goes out.
- Storing empty palletsStoring empty pallets in tight spaces: dry, flat, away from exits, and stacked to the limit your fire marshal sets.
- Pallets in DC alleys and loading zonesWhy pallets pile up behind DC stores and restaurants, and how a small load gets cleared when there is no dock to load from.
Questions
- Where do I start if I have a pile of pallets?
- Read how to get rid of pallets, then send a count.
- Do the guides give prices?
- No. Value depends on the load; the guide on what pallets are worth explains why.
Related
Sources
Last reviewed 2026-11-11.